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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204830">Down to Your Core</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvadore/pseuds/salvadore'>salvadore</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Promare (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Coda, First Kiss, M/M, Second first kiss, Soulbond-freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:28:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204830</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvadore/pseuds/salvadore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For a split second all Galo can do is watch him leave. There's a pull from his heart. It tugs from behind his ribs, growing taut with each running step Lio takes. It's so strong Galo staggers too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>99</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Down to Your Core</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this for the <i>Spark of Hope</i> a Promare Charity e-zine that concluded preorders earlier this week. It was a lovely experience to get to write for a zine. </p><p>Thank you to the number of people who helped me through the draft phase for this fic.<br/>And thank you, dear reader, for reading it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's all harder than Galo anticipated in the minutes and seconds after they win. The bubble of relief and victory bursts as reality crashes, as heavy as the ship beneath them. The bright day before them, and the touch of Lio's skin to his own, disappears as Lio twists and jerks away. There's commotion from below. The sounds of people in distress send Lio staggering back into the machine.</p><p>For a split second all Galo can do is watch him leave. There's a pull from his heart. It tugs from behind his ribs, growing taut with each running step Lio takes. It's so strong Galo staggers too. Then that head of blond hair disappears into the dark depths. And, as if the pilot light of his firefighter heart alights, Galo feels a surge of energy. He's in motion, tripping over his feet as he hurries to follow. It's all he can do to keep up with Lio as they descend into the chaos created by the crash. There's shouts for help, and for Burning Rescue.</p><p>The latter, Galo realizes, is him. He has the presence of mind to be shouting it into their communication line. But his eyes are transfixed on the pull of muscles in Lio's back, and the line of his shoulders as his arms pump with the effort of running.</p><p>In the control room they're illuminated in red. Danger, screams the ship. There's the sound of devices ringing in warning, all mechanisms and engines non-operational. Power is depleted, a robotic voice tells them under the screech of alarms. The crash decimated what back-up systems there were. The machinery that put the Burnish in the engine is unresponsive.</p><p>Galo curls his fingers into fists. From the window he can see the darkened boxes where people are trapped. His heart is thundering. A wave of concern hits him. Underneath it is longing and desperation.</p><p>Beside him, it's the same emotion written on Lio's face. His gaze is flicking around as he tries to make out the Burnish in the dark. A crease deepens between his brows, and the lighting makes it fierce, cutting deep across his youthful face. Next to Galo's hands Lio's curl into fists too.</p><p>Galo feels his own nails bite into his palms. He shivers with the memory of flames covering his skin. It's the ghostly whisper of a feeling that doesn't catch the way it's supposed to. It feels like there should be fire flare, he thinks, emerging from my skin.</p><p>But even when he had Lio's powers, this wasn't how his skin felt. The fire hadn't been a part of him. It had curled around him, and shielded him. It had felt like Lio.</p><p>That's when Galo thinks something might be wrong.</p><p>Lio goes stiff beside him. As if he's an out of sync echo, Galo feels something pierce his heart and make him flinch a breath after Lio. It makes his mouth fall open with its sudden strike. And it makes him too slow when Lio jolts away again.</p><p>Lio leaves the engine room, darting for the walls of trapped Burnish as if he can still free them with his bare hands. Fire burns in his eyes to make up for the powers that have fled him.</p><p>Out of his body, for a moment, Galo finds Remi at his elbow. He doesn't know how long he's been watching Lio while his team assumed position to do their job. Remi's trying to help Galo fix the panel, to get any motor to run and get the Burnish down. But through the uncharacteristic waves of desperation that are knocking Galo down and adrift from any shore, he knows Remi is trying to pull his hands off the controls before he breaks it.</p><p>He's too distracted by the way his emotions ebb and flow, the intensity seeming to finally lessen. But only as he watches Lio run further away from him.</p><p>"Galo." Ignis' voice is a swift cut through the thread tugging at his ribs. Galo deflates, head dropping between his shoulders.</p><p>Around him, Burning Rescue has answered his call. Remi and Lucia are working to get anything online. They're equally silent, a sign of the seriousness.</p><p>"We need you," Ignis says. And his glasses are still lost from his battle with Vulcan. Galo can see curbed concern, and questions they don't have time for all in that gaze.</p><p>It's a poor answer, but Galo nods in response. He's fine, he's here. He can help people, and he knows that's the priority. At least that's what he hopes Ignis reads into the gesture.</p><p>Galo and Varys follow Lio into the core with medical kits from Aina's hover-evac craft. There are so many people in need of medical attention, and there's little time for Galo to worry anymore. He's lost track of Lio, but he has to push it to the back of his mind. Galo trusts Lio to take care of himself, at least.</p><p>They made a promise, Galo tells himself. They made a promise standing in the bright dawn of a new day. They were going to be a team.</p><p>Lio will have to come back to fulfill it.</p><p>Galo hopes that he'll come back.</p>
<hr/><p>Days pass. Then it's weeks. Time slips by with so much to do in the wake of Kray's crimes. But Galo isn't a diplomat. He volunteers for reconstruction efforts, and leaves the politics for Ignis and Aina.</p><p>There is enough destruction and rehousing to keep him occupied anyway. Galo feels selfish to be grateful for the distraction of work. But every time Galo sees blond hair his head jerks in that direction. His heart hammers in his chest as he wills a stranger on the street to turn around and be Lio Fotia.</p><p>Only once does he feel that thread pull feeling nearly jerk his feet from beneath him. He'd raced after it, only to lose track of Lio in the crowd. Most days it's a dull ache that turns him in a direction. He once walked six blocks to see where it would lead. When he'd been recognized, and a kid had asked what the hero of Burning Rescue was doing wandering around the city so late, Galo had been too embarrassed to continue.</p><p>But this night, that thread of feeling pulls Galo out of bed. From the invisible cord below his heart, Galo is led through the Burning Rescue headquarters. He takes careful steps even as his heart starts to pound the closer he gets to the door. He knows before he opens it who will be standing on the other side.</p><p>As he draws nearer he feels anxiety tighten in his chest. A chill starts in his fingers and raises goosebumps over his arms. Then Galo is opening the door.</p><p>Lio looks up. His lips part as he breathes heavily, standing on the steps. He has to look up into Galo's eyes, and there's that anxiety shining from his gaze. Seeing it confirmed, and being able to feel out that this emotion is Lio's not his own, settles Galo. A smile parts Galo's lips, and his grip eases on the door. Between them, Lio's breath is visible in the chill of winter. The seasons have changed while Galo waited and hoped for his return.</p><p>"There's no reason to be scared," Galo says, teasing. Lio's eyes go wide.</p><p>Like an echo in his chest, Galo feels the stutter of Lio's heart.</p><p>"How?" Lio asks. His exhale of the word is made of steam. It catches in the air, rising and then dissipating without another to follow it. Then he swallows it down and his features settle into that serious look that Galo has seen most often.</p><p>“Do you feel this too?" Lio asks.</p><p>He doesn't look like his heart is racing. But Galo can feel it.</p><p>Galo takes the steps like Lio might leave if Galo doesn't ease into this. It's not how Galo wants this to go, but he treats Lio like a difficult problem that needs to be carefully thought through. He pretends each step is a slow lap around the ice up in the mountains. If he's careful in how he thinks this through then Lio might not bolt. His heart might settle into something less like a hammering. Carefully, waiting for Lio to move if he wants to, Galo reaches out to him. They're close enough now that their warm breath catches in a cloud together. Lio's hand is cold in his own when he wraps his fingers around it. Lio shivers, and Galo feels it ghost down his own spine.</p><p>Gently, Galo says, "Yeah. I can feel you."</p><p>He feels Lio's heart skip. He bites his lip, Galo licks his lips unconsciously watching Lio do so. Lio's fingers curl around Galo's own so he's holding Galo's hand in return, and warmth swells in Galo's chest. He can feel the thread of it—what part of this joy is his own and what is an echo of Lio's affection. It's a balm after waiting and wondering where Lio was. So Galo kisses him.</p><p>Lio meets him as if he can read Galo's mind. There are cold fingers pressed to his chest as Lio leans up on his toes to reach Galo's lips. Gently, Galo brushes his fingers through Lio's hair, tucking it behind his ear. As cold as Lio's skin is, having him close turns the warmth in Galo's chest into a raging fire. It shakes free the cold that settled behind his ribs when months went by without word. Gone is Galo hesitance toward Lio. He feels solidly on the ground again. He can race into any fire, fight any monster, or fix any problem.</p><p>Because he has Lio with him.</p><p>When they part Lio is red-lipped and his cheeks are flushed, but not from the chill of the evening.</p><p>"I didn't come here just to kiss you, Galo Thymos," Lio says. But his fingers twist in Galo's hand, lacing them together as he holds on. Over Lio's shoulder he can see Lio's Burnish brothers in the car across the street. They're doing a poor job at giving them privacy.</p><p>In the back of his mind, Galo knows that Lio's reappearance could mean danger. And his Burnish brothers look rough still. The one that raises his hand to cheekily salute them has bandages on his cheeks.</p><p>But Galo is unable and unwilling to hold back his happiness. He grins down at Lio, and squeezes his fingers reassuringly.</p><p>"Then what did bring you here, Lio Fotia?" Galo replies, teasing. He's rewarded with Lio rolling his eyes even though his thumb is brushing soothing patterns on Galo's.</p><p>Galo feels as steady now as he did inside the Galo de Lion. As long as they're together, Galo knows they'll succeed.</p>
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